Sealed container



United States Patent O 3,003,658 SEALED CONTAINER Benjamin Beyton Lindsey, 1154 Wayne St., Topeka, Kans. Filed Jan. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 786,191 2 Claims. (Cl. 22o-42) 'Ihis invention relates to containers and more particularly to a waterproof, airtight container for enclosing and sealing an inner box therewithin.

It is the most important object of this invention to provide a container comprising a tray for receiving an inner box and a cover for the tray, the tray and the cover each having outer peripheral walls formed in such a manner that when the cover is telescoped upon .the tray, there are a number of angularly disposed, complemental, interengaged surfaces between the respective walls.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the aforementioned character wherein the tray, the cover, and the intergral walls thereof are formedof material which may be melted upon the application of heat whereby certain of the complemental, interengaged surfaces of the walls of the tray and its cover may be fused tno present a tightly sealed outer container for an inner It is a yet further aim of this invention to provide a sealed container having certain areas of the inner surfaces of its tray and cover lined with an incombustible material whereby vthe application of heat to the outer faces of the container will fuse only selected parts thereof and will not damage the inner box or its contents.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sealed container which may be used to hold data relating to a deceased person and which may bc interred with the body and, by reason of the construction of the container, preserve the contents thereof for great lengths of time thereby making the same available to future generations.

Another aim of this invention is to provide a container capable of safely preserving its contents for great lengths of time, and yet which may be easily and quickly opened at a future appropriate date.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. l is an expanded perspective view showing the parts of a container embodying the invention and the inner box to be enclosed therein; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view showing the container in a closed condition.

The scalable container is broadly designated by the numeral 10, and has, as its basic components a tray 12 and a cover 14 for the tray. The container is adapted to enclose an inner box such as 16.

Tray 12 includes a continuous, vertical, integral wall 18 extending aiong its entire periphery, wall 18 being of identical configuration throughout its length. Wall 18 and tray 12 may define any desired shape of container 10, but in the form shown such tray is rectangular and wall 18 includes a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls.

Continuous peripheral Wall 18 has the outer face 20 thereof stepped to present a pair of at, normally upwardly facing shoulders 22 and 24. The inner face 26 of wall 18 is ilat throughout its entire length.

Cover 14 is substantially identical to tray 12 in plan configuration and has formed integrally therewith a continuous, normally depending Wall 28 at its marginal edge, said wall being adapted to telescope over wall 18 of tray 12. The inner face 30 of Wall 28 is stepped to present a fiat, downwardly facing shoulder 32 which abuts shoulder 24 when cover 14 is placed over tray 12. The continuous free edge 34 of wall 28 similarly overlies and abuts shoulder 22 when cover 14 and its wall 28 are telescoped over tray 12 and upstanding wall 18.

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The dimensions of walls 18 and 28 are such that when the same are in interengagemen't as above explained outer face 36 of wall 28 and the exposed portion of outer face 20 of wall 18 are coplanar whereby container 10 has a continuous, smooth outer surface.

When the container is closed, the adjacent portions of inner face 30 of cover wall 28 and outer face 20 of tray wall 1-8 disposed below the inner edge of shoulder 24 are in contact whereby to present a tightly closed container, and the free edge 3*8 of wall 18 abuts the inner face 40 of cover 14.

In order that the container may be sealed shut, tray 12 and its wall 18 as well as cover 14 and its wall 28 are made in their entirety from a material which will melt relatively easily upon the concentrated application of heat to a selected portion thereof. Accordingly it has been found advantageous to form the above components of lead or a similar metal having a relatively low melting point and that the desired heat be applied thereto by means of a blow torch or a similar device capable of producing direct, concentrated heat. Lead, copper or other nonferrous, low melting point materials also insure lasting qualities and capacity for resisting destructive forces due to moisture, earth chemicals and other factors resulting from long burial or storage.

As is evident from the drawing, when the container is closed as shown in FIG. 2, the application of heat to outer face 36 of wall 28 at a point opposite shoulders 22 and 24 will result in the fusing and melting together of the material forming the adjacent face 20 of wall .i8 and face 30 of wall 28 and particularly shoulder 22 and free edge 34 as well as shoulder 24 and shoulder 32. Such an application of heat around the entire, overlapping walls 18 and -28 will result in a completely sealed, airtight, waterproof container 10.

To prevent heat so applied from reaching the inner box 16 or from sealing together opposed faces 20 and 30 at a point between the inner edge of shoulder 24 and free edge 38, a lining of incombustible, heat resisting material is placed over selected inner portions of the container. Thus a lining 42 of asbestos or similar material is placed over the entire inner surface 44 of tray 12, as well as over the entire inner face 26 of its wall 18. Lining 42 terminates at a point adjacent free edge 3'8 of wall 18. To complete the protection of the contents of the container and to form a complete wrap about inner box 16, a similar lining 46 is placed over the entire inner surface 46 of cover 14, lining 46 extending over face 30 of wall 28` to a point adjacent the inner edge of downwardly facing shoulder 32. Linings 42 and 46 may be secured to the respective areas to be protected by any suitable heat resistant securing means.

After the container has been sealed as above described access thereto may be had through the use of a continuous groove 4S provided in outer face 36 of Wall 28, groove 48 being situated so as to provide a guide line for any suitable cutting means. Groove 48 is formed so that when the container lil is in a closed condition groove 4S is in a position normally above fused together shoulders 32 and 24. Thus a cut made along groove 48 and through wall 28 will intersect lining 46 as a point above the fused together portions of walls 18 and 28 and when the cut is completed cover 14 will be free and may be easily removed from tray 12 to give free access to inner box 16.

Manifestly, the container 10 herein described may be made in Vany desired size, shape or form and adapted for a multitude of uses wherein such a container would prove advantageous, and may be used with or without an inner box such as 16.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A container for enclosing an inner box, said conlirst shoulder and the upper edge of said wall; and a cover for said tray, said cover having an inner and an outer surface and having a continuous marginal wall depending therefrom, the inner face of said wall being stepped to present a downwardly facing shoulder, the lowermost edge of said depending wall and said downwardly facing shoulder being in overlying abutting engagement with said first and second shoulders respectively of the outer face of the tray wall when the cover is placed on Ithe tray, the inner surface of said cover being lined with an incombustible material, said lining extending over that portion of the inner face of said continuous marginal wall of the cover between the inner surface of the cover and the shoulder formed therein, the upper edge of said wall of the tray engaging the inner, lined surface of said cover when the cover is in place on the tray, said tray and said cover being formed of a material meltable upon the application of heat whereby the t:container may be sealed by fusing the unlined portion f the inner face of said depending wall of the cover to the adjacent portion of the outer face of said upstandingwall of the tray.

-2. A container as set forth in claim 1 wherein the outer face of the depending wall of the Icover is provided with a continuous groove therein between the downwardly facing shoulder and the zone of connection between the cover and said wall.

ReferencesA Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mullen Feb. 5, 1957 

